From Elkhart to Elwood and Baxter Springs to St. Francis, and in rural communities and urban and suburban cities, agriculture touches every Kansan and drives the state’s economy. The Kansas Department of Agriculture recently updated an interactive map showing the economic impact of agriculture in the counties across Kansas.
Located on the KDA website, http://agriculture.ks.gov, the map can be used to find agricultural economic facts for each of the 105 counties in Kansas. KDA annually updates the statistics on the map to give the state’s driving economic industry the recognition it deserves. In the 66 sectors of Kansas agriculture that were recognized for this data compilation, the total output is approximately $62.8 billion. Agriculture also supports more than 229,934 jobs statewide.
“Kansas agriculture contributes 43 percent of the state’s total economy,” said Secretary of Agriculture Jackie McClaskey. “It’s easy to see cattle in a pasture or tractors in a field, but it’s not always easy to fully know the impact agriculture has on your local region. This map breaks down statistics and shows the impact each county has on the total state economy.”
The interactive map allows users to see detailed agricultural statistics including farm numbers, leading agricultural sectors and value-added data. KDA utilized facts from the 2012 census surveys conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service. The economic impact data is sourced from IMPLAN.
KDA is committed to providing an environment that enhances and encourages economic growth of the agriculture industry and the Kansas economy.
The county statistics map is available at http://agriculture.ks.gov/countystatistics. For more information about agriculture in Kansas, visit http://agriculture.ks.gov/about-ksda/kansas-agriculture.
-Photo Credit: Chris Neal / The Capital-Journal
